


Three Taps (Ben Burnley One Shot)

by XXBenxBurnleyXX



Category: Ben Burnley, Breaking Benjamin (Band)
Genre: Ben Burnley - Freeform, Breaking Benjamin, F/M, Love, yay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-06
Updated: 2013-11-06
Packaged: 2017-12-31 15:45:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,174
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1033459
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/XXBenxBurnleyXX/pseuds/XXBenxBurnleyXX
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Don't really know how to explain this story, so just go read it ;) haha, it's Ben Burnley, what more can I say?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Three Taps (Ben Burnley One Shot)

_tap tap tap....tap tap tap....tap tap tap._

3 times. Always three times. Always....

_tap tap tap t-_ NO. Three. Begin again.

_tap tap tap...tap tap tap._

The young brunette sat alone at a table in the back of the classroom, silent except for the incessant tapping of her thin, nimble fingers. She couldn't stop. She couldn't get the rhythm wrong. She just couldn't.

_tap tap tap....tap tap tap...._

She jumped slightly as a book fell onto the desk at her right. She looked up through her long lashes, which continued to sweep her cheeks as she blinked much more often than necessary. A faint smile touched her lips for a mere second, no more, no less, as she saw who the boy was. Ben. Finally.

He sat down, not saying a word to the girl next to him. Her tapping did not bother him, nor did the excessive blinking. Not even the nearly inaudible throat clearing that happened every 2 minutes. Exactly every 2 minutes.

_tap tap tap...ahem....tap tap tap..._

Still not a word left his mouth as she turned to look down at the desk again, still tapping, still bliking. He didn't speak, and he didn't need to. They had an understanding.

In the 7th grade a girl named Leah had moved to Wilkes-barre, Pennsylvania. Everyone made fun of her because of her condition, a disease known as Tourette's, she had no friends until one day, a boy named Benjamin Burnley had stood up for her. As it turned out he was a bit of a loner, and only spoke to a handful of people, at least he only spoke to them and was happy about it. He, also, was bullied because of his quieter ways and the silent darkness that seemed to hang about him. One day, as he saw a boy named Clark picking on the stuttering girl something inside of him broke.

Of course she was still alone for a week, as he had been suspended from school for beating up Clark, but once he returned they were hard to separate. It was an unusual friendship though. Neither one of them spoke often, and yet none of the silences they fell into had ever been awkward, just comfortable. Over the years Ben had always stood up for and kept anybody from hurting her, emotionally or physically. He was her rock.

They were now Seniors in high school and nothing had changed. They were still great, yet unusual, friends and he was always there for her, as she was for him in return.

He leaned towards her slightly and said in a quiet voice, "Pop Quiz in World History 4th hour. Aaron found out."

World History? She was horrible at World History. She turned to the tall, dark haired boy, "Thanks..."

He gave her a small smile before turning back to his notebook, returning to sketching out some lyrics. A smile twitched onto her face again. Ben had an amazing voice and so much musical talent....

_tap tap tap....tap tap tap....tap ta-_

"OH MY FUCKING GOD!" A voice exclaimed and the boy in front of the two friends, spun around. He was new at the school.

Shocked, Leah leaned back in her seat slightly as the boy glared daggers at her. What had she done?

"Tap your fingers again and I will rip your hand off." He snapped. She blinked rapidly at him, silent. "Got that flutter face?"

"Another word and I will shove my foot so far up your fucking ass you won't be able to shit for a week."

The boy turns to Ben, about to insult him as well but pauses as he takes in the tall, threatening looking boy. He didn't know if he wanted to risk getting his ass kicked on the first day... Then again he didn't really care. "Yeah? And how are you going to manage that one, Tall Dark and Retard? What? You don't like me messing with your freak of a girlfriend?"

Ben stood up so quickly that his chair nearly crashed to the ground and was about to do something to get him suspended for the second time this year when a soft hand rested on his arm. Looking down, he saw Leah staring up at him shaking her head slightly. Again she quietly cleared her throat and he was pulled back to sanity. She hated it when he fought. As he watched the familiar sweeping of her long eyelashes brushing across the soft skin of her cheeks he slowly calmed down. She had that effect on him.

He nodded at her and sat back down, but not without giving the boy a death glare so harsh that he shivered in his seat before turning back around. He turned to look at his friend and his eyes softened as they fell onto her face. She smiled at him, sliding her hand on top of his where it rested on his leg.

_tap tap tap...._

The soft 3 taps were familiar and comforting as they pittered across his knuckles. He didn't dare to move his hand in the least, for fear of messing up her rhythm. He couldn't do that to her. It was necessary for the girl and he had promised never to do something like that to her again.

_"One...Two, Three.........Four." She hopped onto the last stone in her pattern and began again. One hop, a criss-cross on two and a quick turn following for three. Pause. Jump for four._ _Ben watched his friend. She was concentrated so hard on this task of hers and it was as if getting the pattern right was what her life depended on._

_He rolled his eyes as she began to do it again._ _"One...two, Three....." But before she could get to four Ben moved forward and grabbed her around the waist, pulling her from the stones and into his chest, tickling her. He was bored and they had been sitting at the park for 20 minutes now, doing practically nothing. He knew she was extremely ticklish._

_But instead of the usual squeal of happiness and laughter that followed, a shrill scream was in it's place. Her fingers dug into the skin of his arms that held her as she screamed and shook._

_"NO! NO! Ben no!" She screamed and he let her go. She fell to her knees and grasped her hair in her fists, sobbing. "no no no!"_ _Shocked and scared the 14 year old boy dropped to his knees beside his screaming friend and wrapped his arms around her, holding her sobbing form to his chest._ _"I have to get it right...I have to...oh god no! I have to get it right!" She screamed._

_"Okay...Okay Leah..." he hushed her and she stopped screaming, only sobbing hysterically now. "I'm so sorry...so sorry. I won't do it again. I promise. Never."_

_And so for the next 15 minutes he held the small-formed girl, until finally she calmed and he knew that she was okay as he felt a familiar sensation against the skin of his forearm. 3 taps._

Looking up from their hands, he saw the Study Hall monitor, Mrs. Marshall, stand. "Alright students, I'm going to the office and won't be long. Behave or it's detention." She said and walked from the class.

"Behave or it's detention." a soft voice echoes, mumbling under their breath. It was Leah. She hadn't thought of repeating the teacher, it just happened, as it did so often.

As soon as she was out of the room the talking began. It was focused on one area. "Did you hear about Briant Burnley?" A voice asks and Ben's head turns the smallest amount at the mention on his father's name.

"Yeah heard he's on his rounds again." Drake grins.

"What are you grinning for? After all, I heard it was your mother!" Cara says and everyone laughs, Drake's face getting red.

"Yeah whatever, the drunk bastard couldn't score my mom!" He snaps.

Ben's hand curled into a fist beneath Leah's. Her taps started in a quicker rhythm. _tap..tap..tap._

"My Uncle said he saw Burnley beating his son. The Freak probably deserved it." Matthew says, knowing fully well that Ben was in the room.

"Oi! That true Burnley? Did your daddy hit you?" Drake calls, having already bounced back from the insult to his mother's devotion to his father. "Did he beat your sorry ass?" All of the people around the boy laughed.

_tap tap tap. taptaptap. tapta-_

Suddenly the tapping stopped and her hand was wrapped tightly around his, shaking from the stillness of her tic. She held onto him tightly, giving him a life line.

Ben glared down at the desk, jaw tight. Yes, he thought. Yes his father had hit him, but he wasn't going to tell them that. He also wasn't going to let them see the large bruise across his back, a result from his father throwing him into a chair with such force it had broken. He wasn't going to tell them anything.

"Are you stupid? I asked you a question." Drake says with a sneer.

Leah bit her tongue as she rubbed a thumb across the back of Ben's hand. She tried to hold back.

"Answer me." Drake smiled slowly, stepping forward. She felt dizzy as she fought back. She had been getting better at controlling her verbal ticks, she could do this. She could stay calm, for Ben. Ben...

"Answer me dipshit!" Drake said, much louder. "Open your retarded mouth a-"

"FUCK YOU!"

The room was silent, shock filled the air. She couldn't do it. Ben. They were hurting Ben, she couldn't hold back. There was no use.

"Fucking fuck...motherfucker..." Her free hand shot to her mouth to cover it, face red. She tried to silence the next stream of swears about to burst unwillingly from her mouth.

In the next instant Ben was standing, both his and Leah's bag over his shoulder as he grabbed their books, One arm reached out and pulled the swearing girl from her seat. He quickly passed all the students, who were still watching them.

"Shit, I-I...Fuck!" She shoved out, shaking as he pulled her along. When they reached a deserted hall, away from any watching eyes he dropped all of their things and brought his trembling friend into his arms. She hid her face in his chest, tears in her eyes as she rode out what she could not hold back. After another minute or so she was finally able to calm herself enough to control what was happening. As she muttered her last swear a shaky breath was emitted from her lungs. He didn't move from the position they were in, holding her tightly.

"I-I'm sorry...I didn't m-mean to." She stuttered.

He shook his head and cut her off, "Shh...it's not your fault."

"But it is...I-I couldn't hold it!"

He released her and moved to hold her face in his hands, bending slightly so that he was closer to her level, "Don't ever say it's your fault. Ever. You were only upset..."

She nodded slightly, sniffling. The small sound of her throat clearing reached his ears and he smoothed a thumb over her cheek. "Now what got you so upset that you had to ruin your 3 month record of no verbal tics?"

"Are you joking?" Leah demanded, "They...They were hurting you! I-I couldn't stand it."

"That's why? You should be used to that by now Leah..."

"And you should let everyone have their go a-at me by now. You should be used to it." She countered.

He froze and finally managed to get out, "I...I can't."

"Exactly." She says softly, and the hand that I had been resting on his arm tapped.

"Why Three?" He asked. "It's always three. Why?"

"Three Taps...Three words." She told him and he gave her a look that made it known that he was still confused.

_Tap_ "I" _Tap_ "Love" _Tap_ "You." she translated.

Slowly he nodded, "Okay, I get it."

She smiled at him slightly and moved her hand slowly across his body until it reached his chest. Right above his heart she stopped.

_tap...tap...tap_

It took him a moment to understand, but when he did his heart stuttered. She was telling him that she loved him. From the look in her eyes as realization hit his face he knew he was right. And so he did what he had wanted to do for years. He kissed her.

She seemed surprised at first but then she kissed back, wrapping her arms around his neck and holding him to her level, not that he had any intention of pulling away in the first place. Suddenly the hand that rested against the small of her back moved and she smiled into the kiss as she realized what was happening as his fingers padded against skin her 3 times.

_Tap...Tap....Tap._

**Author's Note:**

> AN: Hope you all liked it! Please comment and let me know how you liked it: Feedback is appreciated! Love you all!
> 
> ~JLuvsYew~


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